TORONTO, ON - FEBRUARY 14: LeBron James #23 of the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Eastern Conference handles the ball against Kawhi Leonard #2 of the San Antonio Spurs and the Western Conference in the second half during the NBA All-Star Game 2016 at the Air Canada Centre on February 14, 2016 in Toronto, Ontario. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) Photo: Elsa/Getty Images

The Los Angeles Lakers re-engaged the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday in pursuit of a trade for All-NBA forward Kawhi Leonard, league sources told ESPN.

The stakes on these talks are enormous because the teams believe a deal for Leonard would likely clinch a free-agent commitment out of LeBron James to the Lakers. James has until late Friday night to opt out of the final year of his contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

This to me is the only realistic scenario in which LeBron leaves Cleveland this year, and I didn’t think it was all that realistic until now.

I doubted the Spurs would actually want to trade Leonard to the Lakers, but perhaps they will.

Other potential destinations still prevent James from being able to join a team that will be able to beat Golden State, and since I bought the idea James cares about his hometown fans when he re-signed with the Cavs four years ago, I still think he would rather lose to the Warriors as a Cav than in any other uniform.